Safety-valve mechanism and pressure-signal



R. E. McKEE..

SAFETY VALVE MECHANISM AND PRESSURE SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1, 1917.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

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To all whom t may concern:

RAYMOND E. AMGKEE, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. v

SAFETY-VALVE MECHANISM AND PRESSURE-SIGNAL.

Be it known that I, RAYMOND E. MGKEE, a citizen of the United States, kresiding at Chicago, in the county of. .Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Gombinedbafety- Valve Mechanism. andv Pressure-Signal, oiE

wllichthe following is a specication f Y This inventionrelates to safetyvvalves and 4more particularly to safety-valves and pres- Y sure signals for pneumatic tires andthe like,

and has among its .objects the production of a combined saiety-valveand high and low pressure signal which will prolong the lire ofl pneumatic tires' and prevent whatk 1s 'commonly termed, blow-outs.

Two principal causes underliethe blowing up of pneumatic tires: yfirst, under-inflation, and second, over-inflation.

When an automobile is run with tires underinflated'the sides of the tire are subl Ajected toa greater bending motion, which l the air in the tireis sufficiently :heated to an excessive air-pressure'for a-'weakened portion lnfthetlr'e.Y Y Y Mrl`he principal object of this invention re- -sides in? the provision ofv a safety-valve and Asignal for neumatic tires which will automatically signal andexhaust or relieve-the v pressure-in the tire when the pressure has been raised above va pre-determined point,

and which will also signal and warn'the operator. or driver of an automobile when the pressure in any tire is lowered below -a certain desired low pressure, f Such high -and low "pressure signal comprises a whistle alarm. Y

With the above and other objects in view, Lthe invention consistsin the detalls of construction and in the arrangement and com-l b'ination ofparts hereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed outr in the appended claims.

V`'In describing the invention in detail, ref` erence will be; had Vto the accompanying j drawings,rwherein like l'reference characters denote corresponding parts inl-the several views, and in which-,-

Q invention taken on line 1-1 of' Fig. 2.

-Figure 1 is a partvertical section of my Application filed August 1, 1917. serial No. 183,986.

' Speccaton of Letters Patent.v Patented Nosy. 16, '1920.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken .on line 2 2 ofFig. i. Q l

F ig. l3 4is a part section sllowing'an elevation of the interior lnechanism. l ,1

Fig. 4 illustrates an enlarged detail of the whistle signal. Referringoto the drawings, my sists of a lower body member 20 havin a threaded connection 21 with a vcylindrical wall member-22 which latter has a converging top formed with the interior shoulder 23 to retain the soft oil packin lower body member 20 is provi ed withy a central bore 25which has a portion vrdecreased in diameter as at 26 to fit over the exterior of the threaded end of a standard pneumatic tire valve tube, the constructiony of which is well understood in the art; 1 l

Y A loosely mounted nut 28, internally threaded at 29, is provided over the external collar 27 whichis formed at lower. art Y0i the valve body 20. `It is evident, t atby. the use of this construction, the entire device can be mounted in a certain Xed relative position to the wheel.y f

adapted to depressthe .tire valve stem 4tol device,A con-v' 24. The.

within the internally threaded bere Qc is f a vertically adjustable disk 30, the lower facey 31 of which has a central projection 32 maintain the valvein open position for colnf munication with the` interior ofV the. diaphragm chamber 34 through severalholes,

Vwhich are drilledin the disk 30. Therefore,

as long as my device is attached to' the tire tube, there will be constant communication between the interior of the vdiaphragmY chamber 34 and the interior ofthe .pneumatic tire. Y f Y The diaphragm L3,6 made preferably .of hardenedv brass,is securely' retained by the threaded disk 37 which is dished on the lower face to allow for movement of the diaphragm.l

VCentrally connected with said l.diaphragm 36, by means of the screw38, is a vertically movable, tubular member 39 provided with v an interior bore 40 with the upper portion interiorly threaded and supporting the whistle ystem 41 and whistle hood 42, the thin edge V43` of which is situated directly above the circumferential space 44 between the sleeve 45 and the cup-like outer member 46. A y

plurality of horizontal-openings 47 register with the openings 48 within the upper portion of the stem 39v and admity the passage of 1a current of air through same and the yspace 44 `against the thin' e'dgel4'8 of the Vwhistle tosound the alarm. The screw 88 is vand 54V are madeto i'it loosely over .the tu irovided with a longitudinal `bore to aiord Yconstant communication between `Vthe interior ofy the pneumatic tire and a pair of valves 49 and o()V which control the passage. 'or an' into the interior bore 40 oi the mem- A'number depending on thecompression desired. Y 'i y The spring pressure adjusting washers 53 bular memberf39. J

A' VZheniny device isinuse in connection with an. automobile tire, the lsame is pre- Avided Vwith anair inlet valve 55y communi'- cating withrthe bore 26. This inlet valve as indicated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprises casing 56 threaded eXteriorly at both ends and .alsol iiiteriorly atthe valve connection end for the spring-retainingplug"57 which Y is provided with thefairpassage 57'* and a cavity 58 for retainingvone end of the spring 159 whilethe other end of said spring is in sof constant abutment with the projecting portion'bOA of the valve 60. The stem 6l has Y slidable movementlwithin the bore 62.V The in closed position, into the depresse'dportion 64 of thevalve 60, Vwhich depression 64 retains a small washer of durable elastic pack-- i Y ing material as anair-tightseal.

It is obvious that the spring 59 will conv stantly tend to close the valve and that the .connection of an air-tire supply hoseto the threaded end 56A will in the wel?L lniovm manner depress the stem 6lv `,against the pressure otspring 59 to open the valve.

. Y lt will be observed thatthese signal valves V49 ,and 50 arel movable with 'the tubulai l member 39 and that a maximum high pres-` sure,A can be maintained andlregulated and varied by the vertical movement of the.

adustablescreivvr abutment' 68 which is sup,

ported on the stationary bracletp69, whichk V4bracketis'A carried on the stationarypost 70 and which abutment 68 will Contact with.

Y "thefstem orf" the n nwardlT7 moving'valve49 lto open f and exhaust same atl a predeter mined high pressure to sound the whistle alarm. Immediately7 on the lowering of the'l pressure due to this automatic exhaust lthe entire tubular member and valve 44 -will be lowered fawayV from the contacting abutment G8 and permit the valve 49 toV auto-I The low-pressure signal val-ve 50, the con- *struction of which is identical With-u1@ valve 49, `performs the function of admit- :which is pivotally mounted on the support 75and 4which support is carried on the stationarydisk 87.

.A projecting pin 76 rigid with-the base `5l is adapted to engage kthe angularly disposed end 74B of the release arm 74 at'the decrease. of pressure and thereby move the arm 74 slowly to the left to a position incheated in F ig. 3 and duringsuch movement', Y

the notched portionv 7 4Av describes an are and therefore slightly raises theend 72"* of the operating lever-72 suficiently to move the screw abutment 7l downwardly into engagenient with the stem of valve 50 lto open same vf and sound. the whistle alarm. It will be noted, that this low pressure alarm does not continue indefinitely but is limited in time, for when the release arm 74 has assumed the position indicated in Fig. 3, the end 72A ofy the operating-lever 72 is freed and allows the valve 50 to close automatically at the action o-the air pressure and the spring.

valve seatiGS is formedof a slightly raised i lannular portion andis adapted to iit,fwheii The spring 78,;or its equivalent, tends to return the .lever V74 into normal position with the notched portion 74A under-theoperating lever 72. Y

In operation, the uctuation of the pressureofv the air within the ytirerwill raise and lower the memberj39 with the high pressure i valve 49 and the low pressure valve 50 in such manner that whenthe pressure would exceed the predetermined desirablepressure, the stemof the valve 49 Awill obviously come into. con-tact with the abutment' screw 68V whereby continued upward movement of the member 39 and the valve 49 will cause u vdownward movement of the stem of valve 49 against the pressure of the spring 59 to open the valve and permit the escape ofaiiv through the passage 67 into the bore; 40 and thence through the openings 47 and 48, whereby the whistle alarm will be sounded. Should the -air pressuredecrease for any reason; theY member 39. andthe valves 49 and 50 Willof course,-beA lowered andthe end 72A-oic lever '72will engage the notched portion 74A of the, pivoted-lever 74 in such manner that the continued downward movement lof the -meinber 39 andthe adjacently mounted valve() will cause a ,downward movement of the'end ofthe lever 72 directly over the stemof the valve 50. Y It is obvious that the downward movementof the stem otvalve 50 will` open such-valve to allow theescape of the air througha passage 66, also communicating with the/boreV 40.

`Should the pressure continue to further decrease, the projecting pin v 6, which is rigid with the base 51will engage the end 74B of the arm 74 and thus move the arm 74 away from under the end 72A of the lever 72 whereby the lever 72 will be released to permit the upward movement of the stem of valve 50 to close the valve and thusv prevent further escape of air which otherwise would be continued duringthe decrease in pres-4 sure. if

I claim l. In a valve mechanism of the kind de scribed, the combination of a valve body, a spring iniiuenced tubulin-.member movably mounted in said body, a whistle signal communicating with said tubular member, a high pressure valve Vcommunicating with said tubular member and signal, a iexible diaphragm having its center in engagement with said tubular member and adapted to be raised and lowered by the fluctuation of the pressure, a low pressure valve communieating with said member and signal, and independent means for operating said valves atv predetermined high and low pressures, said means for operating the low pressure valve arranged to limit the duration of the low pressure signal.

2. In a valve mechanism of the kinddelowered by the iiuctuation of the pressure' beneath it, a whistle signal commumcatin with the interior of said member, a pair o high .and low pressure valves controlling the passage of air from beneath said diaphragm to said signal and independent means for operating said valves at predetermined high and low pressures, said means for. operating the low pressure valve arranged to limit the duration of the low pressure signal.l

3. In a mechanism of the kind described, the combination of a valve body, a springinfluenced member adapted to move under the fluctuation of air'pressure, a whistle signal, a pair of high and low pressure valves communicating with said signal and independent means for operating said valves at sai means for operating the low pressure valve arranged to limit the duration of the low pressure rsignal and permit the automatic closing of the said valve.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed by name this 30th day of July, 1917.

, VARAYMOND E. MCKEE.

redetermined high and low pressures,I 

